Removing the I from Team
by DashingFox
Summary: A young Fox McCloud is thrown into the fast paced Super Smash Bros competition where he has to learn to depend on himself without the help of his team. However, the competition is not as it seems and challenges lurk behind every corner for him and the other competitors.
1. Chapter 1

Things had been tough after Andross' demise, real tough. The huge pile of money we'd been given from General Pepper had lasted about a day, all being spent on repairs to the Great Fox and individual Arwings.

When two months had gone by with no work, I started to get worried. Slippy had tried to keep a positive outlook, telling us each morning that work was on its way, but Falco and I had to stay realistic. That's when the fights broke out. With the lack of adventure, Falco's patience was wearing thin and to be honest, so was mine. Although Slippy thought he was doing the right thing by keeping our spirits up this only irritated Falco further.

Today was no different. We all got up to bridge early as usual that morning, hoping that a mission had arrived overnight, only to discover we'd been disappointed yet again. I sighed and slid back into my seat. Peppy, who was sitting across from me, held a solemn look and wrung his fingers together thoughtfully.

"Fox this is getting ridiculous. How are we supposed to survive like this?" Falco asked, throwing a feathered hand up in frustration.

"Lylat is at peace Falco, there's nothing for us to do." I told him tiredly. We had this argument at least once a week, always ending with one of us storming out.

"Then what's the point in us even keeping the team together? We're doing nothing but slowing dying, not only from starvation but from boredom." He complained.

"We can't split up! We saved the galaxy remember? What if they need our help again?" Slippy argued.

"So are we just going to sit around and wait for some demented scientist or psychotic killer to take over again? Who knows how long that might take, it may not even happen in our life time!" Falco said raising his voice. I rested my head against the headrest in defeat. I really didn't want to listen to their arguing again. Falco was right though, we did need to get out there and look for work ourselves, not relying on the military to hand it to us. A loud beep interrupted my quiet musing. My head shot up and I looked hopefully at the view screen.

"It's for you Fox from a 'Master Hand'" Peppy told me as he read the message.

"Master Hand? What kind of a name is that?" Slippy cringed.

"Well what does it say?" I asked, ignoring him. Peppy's eyes widened and he flipped the screen over to me so I could read it. I quickly opened the electronic envelope.

_Dear Commander Fox McCloud_

_I'm delighted to say that you have been personally invited to the most prestigious competition where you will show you're skills as Lylat's finest._

_You will be up against the most gifted men and women throughout the universes and this is not an opportunity that should be missed._

_Please understand that by accepting this challenge, you will be staying at the famous Smash Mansion for a minimum of twelve weeks where you will not be able to contact family or friends directly, only via single page messages._

_At the end of the twelve weeks, if you present yourself as the best and brightest, you will be going home with not only one million coins but the title of Nintendo's Star._

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Yours truly,_

_Master Hand._

I sat dumbfounded, staring at the message. I read it again, even reading it out-loud, but each time it remained the same. Surely there were better, brighter candidates out there. And one million coins? It seemed too good to be true. I looked around the room at my friends, each showing their own looks of surprise except for Peppy who gave me a knowing smile.

"One million coins?" Slippy asked, nearly falling out of his chair.

"Lylat's finest?" Falco asked, equally as shocked.

"I know." I breathed. It seemed great, fantastic even, but one thought kept nagging me. If I accept, what will happen to the team? Falco would flee as soon as I stepped off the ship, looking for some sort of entertainment. Then Slippy and Peppy would go and work at the academy. There would be no more StarFox, no more banter before missions, no more fighting for Lylat and its people. When I would return, there would be nothing and I couldn't handle that, not again.

"I can't do it." I said sadly.

"What do you mean you can't do it? Did you read the bit about one million coins? We would be set for life, new upgrades, weapons, everything!" Slippy exclaimed.

"You just want new toys." I teased.

"Maybe." He replied and crossed his arms.

"Why?" Falco asked bringing the subject back on track.

"Well what will happen to you guys if I go? Twelve weeks is a long time." I argued and to my surprise, Falco laughed.

"Don't worry about us, Fox. StarFox will be right where you left it when you get back." He assured me, subtly telling me that he wouldn't leave while I was gone.

"Yeah, don't worry, just imagine how great it would be to be in this competition. 'Lylat's Finest.'" Slippy enthused. I looked at him thoughtfully, then to Falco, who had seated himself and then to Peppy.

"You really think I can do this?" I asked him. He chuckled and leaned back into his chair.

"Fox, if there's one thing I've learnt about you, it's that you can do anything when you put your mind to it." He told me.

"Alright, since you've all ganged up on me, I guess I don't have a choice." I grinned. "Sign me up."

* * *

I pulled out the very dusty suitcase from under my bed and opened it. The last time I'd left and had to use it was when I went on flight camp in the academy. It brought back fond memories of Bill and I causing and being in trouble. I left the suitcase and started packing clothes for the competition. In the reply letter I had received from signing up, it told me that all I would need in the way of clothes was casual and one formal outfit. There was going to some sort of ball near the end of the competition. I was never good at those sorts of things, dressing up and acting pretentious. This was evidently shown when all I could find in the way of formalities in my wardrobe was my father's old blazer and red tie. I decided that although it may still be a bit too big for my frame, I would take it anyway for sentimental reasons.

My father was a tall, proud fox that could make any female fall head over heels with the twitch of a smile. I however was never going to be tall and had quickly resigned myself to the fact that Falco was always going to be that little bit higher than me. I placed the suit carefully inside the case and continued sorting through the things I would need.

I ticked my clothes off of the list I was given and read the next line: weapons. Whether that be fists or fire they said it didn't matter, what ever made you stronger, so I chose both. I grabbed my trusty blaster and headset. I went to take my reflector but remembered what Slippy had told me about it still working at about fifty percent so I left it. He had however given me a new pair of boots, boasting about how they contained some new 'awesome special features.' They looked the same as my current boots so I shrugged and put them in the case too.

Ticking off weapons I looked at the final necessity: a piece of home. I looked at the words carefully trying to understand exactly what they meant. Did they mean a rock from Corneria or something from the Great Fox? I debated it for a moment and decided that since I lived on the giant ship, that it qualified as home. I looked around my small room, trying to pinpoint what would describe home the best, when my eyes landed on a picture. I walked over to it and held it in my hands, smiling and deciding that it was perfect.

The intercom came to life and the robot computer known as ROB 64 made himself known.

"The courier is ready for your arrival Sir." He announced.

"Thank you ROB, I'll be there in a moment. And what have I told you about calling me sir?" I scolded and zipped up my suitcase.

"Sorry Commander." ROB said and cut the link.

"Close enough." I sighed. Taking one more glance around my room, I walked out the door and down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

I sat down quietly on the small foreign ship, piloted by a small creature with what seemed to be a pink toadstool hat. I smiled politely at her and she beamed happily at me from her post. She punched in a few commands and we went speeding off into space faster than I had ever been before. I looked out the window and observed how unfamiliar the stars were becoming. We slowed down and came into orbit of a planet and I watched curiously at all the space movement beneath us.

"This isn't our stop Commander, just picking up another competitor and then we're off." The girl said. We sat in an awkward silence as we waited for the other to arrive. "So." The girl began, obviously hating the lack of conversation. "I hear you took down a crazy scientist single handedly."

"Well, that's not entirely true, I had a lot of help from my team." I explained. She nodded slowly but I could tell she didn't care about my team's involvement. Before she could respond, an alarm chirped and she spun around in her chair.

"Looks like you're about to meet a fellow pilot." She commented as the ship shook slightly from the docking. The airlock flew open and a very tall muscular man with an impressive helmet swaggered on board.

"Captain Falcon, it's an honour!" The girl fawned. The man hadn't noticed my existence yet, which allowed me to roll my eyes.

"The honour is all mine young lady." He smiled charmingly and set his bags down at the back of the ship. As he walked back to sit down he did a double take at me.

"What the hell are you?" He asked.

"Huh?" I replied. He looked me up and down.

"Are you some sort of sick cross between an animal and human?" He demanded with disgust. I could feel my ears twitch with anger.

"No, I'm a Cornerian." I retorted. The man sat down and continued to glare at me like I'd offended not only him but also his family. I chose to ignore the looks of contempt and peered out of the window. The ship shook again, signalling that we were no longer docking and we shot back into unknown space.

"It's probably going to be another hour till we get there fellas." The girl announced. I risked a glance at the man who was still sending me angry glares. This was going to be a long trip.

"Welcome to the first ever Super Smash Brothers!" A loud voice boomed. As soon as we had landed, I was ushered into a small room where I was told to wait for my name to be called. From there I was to walk out onto the stage and do something that the audience would remember me for. The voice continued to boast about what an amazing tournament it was going to be, but I was far from listening. What was I going to do to make the crowd like me, in fact why did they even have to like me? I looked nervously down at the boots Slippy had given me. They were incredibly comfortable, but the buttons at the toes of them caught my attention.

"Our first member is the face of Nintendo itself! Please make a warm welcome for Mario from the Mushroom Kingdom." The voice said excitedly. I looked up at the small television that showed a short stubby man with his trademark moustache and red hat walk confidently onto the stage. The crowd immediately broke into applause upon seeing the famed hero. My eyes widened at the size of the crowd. It was huge and there were several floating cameras too. I wondered whether my team was watching this back in Lylat or whether it was just shown in this galaxy.  
"Next we have the legendary hero from Hyrule, Link!" The next competitor was a tallish boy with blonde hair that blew over his nervous face. He couldn't have be any older than me but I by the size of his sword and the way he swung it around to impress the audience, I wouldn't want to be his enemy.

"And now for the dangerous bounty hunter, Samous Aran." They weren't lying when they said was it dangerous. It stalked onto the stage, staring down the audience, which ironically enough made them love it more. What got me though was the full body armour. The giant orange suit clanked whenever it moved, also ensuring that you couldn't tell what gender it was, but the words 'bounty hunter' were enough to make me seethe.

"But we couldn't forget the adorable hero of Dreamland, Kirby!" A little pink ball with large clumsy feet, waddled over and smiled innocently, inflating and deflating its small body, which the crowd make 'aw' noises at.

"And now Lylat's most skilled pilot and mercenary, Fox McCloud!" That was my cue. I walked through the curtain and stood in the middle of the stage. The audience went quiet and I could feel the discomfort they were in. I remembered that I had to do something that would make them like me so I attempted a smile, but to no avail. I stood panicking, quickly going through my options, but stopped and slowly looked down at my boots. Clicking the front of my boots together on the buttons, they suddenly caught on fire and I was thrown into the air. I yelped in horror and tried to latch onto the closest thing to stop my accent, unfortunately it was the banner that floated proudly in the sky. I grabbed onto the sign and prayed that my boots would stop burning. Within a few seconds they did and I fell very ungraciously to the ground with a thud. I got up, rubbing my now bruised thigh and looked at the crowd. Almost all mouths were open with shock. But then the unexpected happened. They exploded into wild applause. I remained still, eyes unblinking at the ecstatic woops I was receiving.

"Well that was one heck of an entrance Commander." The commentator said enthusiastically. I managed to grin once my nerves had calmed down and left the stage with whatever dignity I had left.

I fell exhausted onto the temporary bunk they'd given me. Today was one of the most humiliating days I'd had since I was in the academy and it was taking its toll. Although the audience loved it, the competitors now saw me as clumsy and attention seeking which was a dangerous place to be in. After my little 'show' I'd decided to skip the end of introductions and left without anybody noticing. It wasn't until I was caught with my tail in the wrong room that I was told where I could and couldn't go. They led me to my room and I almost fell asleep where I stood. I closed my eyes and wished it to be over before it even began. As I was falling asleep the door creaked open. I opened one of my eyes to see who it was, twisting my neck around. The young blonde haired boy in green looked nervously around the room and caught my eye. We stayed staring at each other for a few moments before I relaxed and closed it again. I could hear the boy scuffing his shoes, debating whether he should actually come in or stay at the door. I sighed and sat up, crossing my legs.

"What is it?" I asked politely although strained. He looked down at the paper that was crushed up in his leather clad hands.

"I'm supposed to be sharing this room with you tonight." The boy said.

"Fine." I said and gestured to the bunk across from mine. He nodded gratefully at me and put his small bag down by his bed. He climbed effortlessly onto the bunk and sat quietly with his head against the wall. We remained quiet for about ten minutes, but this time, it was a silence not even I could bear.

"You're Link right?" I asked casually. His light blue eyes landed on me and I could almost hear what he was thinking about.

"Yes." He replied eventually.

"I'm Fox."

"I know." I cringed, he must have thought the worst of me already. I lay back, deciding that conversation was futile. Closing my eyes I tried to drift off again.

"How did you get your shoes to catch on fire?" The boy asked. I hesitated before replying.

"A friend of mine made them for me. Don't know why he didn't want to warn me about them first." The boy snorted.  
"Consider yourself lucky." He muttered.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" An angry, muffled voice asked. I sat upright and looked cautiously around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. I narrowed my eyes at Link's hat, which seemed to be moving.

"Um, what's going on with your hat?" I asked.

"Ignore it." He said through gritted teeth.

"Hey! I'm not an it!" The voice exclaimed. Link groaned and threw his hat off, revealing a little blue fairy. "It's about time you let me out, it's so stuffy in there." The fairy complained.

"Should have ignored it." Link told me. I couldn't help but laugh a little. Although Slippy could be annoying, he was definitely one of my closest friends and a very talented mechanic. Link however had the honour of dealing with what seemed to be a very excitable and vocal fairy.

"You must be that fox that caught on fire! That was amazing! How are you not dead?" The fairy asked and flew into my face.

"I don't know. Dumb luck maybe." I attempted. This only made it more excited.

"Wow, you are so brave! How come I've never heard of you? You must have so many stories from your travels. I know Link and I do, but Link never talks about them. He says they're no body else's business but I think he just doesn't want the attention." It said quickly. I looked sideways at Link who wore an amused smile.

"Ha ha." He mocked.

"Gee thanks." I said sarcastically. He laughed quietly, keeping an eye on the hyperactive fairy.

"Look Navi, why doesn't Fox tell you one story, then you let us get some sleep?" Link offered tiredly.  
"Just one? Pick a good one then." The fairy complained.

"Well, I don't really have many good stories." I said shyly.

"It really doesn't matter how good it is, just as long as it keeps her quiet." Link whispered.

"Ok." I began. "I think I may have already gotten an enemy."

"That was quick." Link commented. "What did you do to them?"

"You know that Captain Falcon guy?" I asked and received a nod in return. "Well I was born and apparently that offends him." This made Link laugh.

"You're not alone, you should have seen his reaction to my ears." I smiled, I guess I wasn't so alone in this competition. It had taken some work, but this boy seemed happy to talk to me now.

"Wow, that guy doesn't sound very nice. Thanks for sharing a story Fox." Navi said and flittered quietly back into Link's hat that was now on the bedside table.

"Sorry about her." Link said.

"Don't worry about it." I chuckled and lay back in my bunk, closing my eyes for the final time that night. The lights went out and I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey there! So this is my third chapter now and I'm really enjoying writing so there maybe quite a few updates coming up soon. I also wanted to say thanks to my lovely reviewer mightygamer64 for boosting my confidence :) Anyway, let's get on with the story!**

* * *

"Rise and shine Commander! We have a big day today." I squeezed my eyes closed and dug my head further into the pillow, ignoring any attempt to wake me up.

"Come on Link, you have to get up too." The sweet voice reminded the other inhabitant of the room. I heard an unhappy groan and the sound of two feet hitting the ground.

"Alright, you have an hour to get ready and then there's a parade." The voice said excitedly and left the room. I felt a hand on my shoulder and got gently shoved.

"You heard her, we've got an hour." Link told me in a dull tone. I sat up slowly and yawned. Why we needed a parade was beyond me.

"And I thought this was supposed to be a competition about skill." I said sarcastically. Link nodded in agreement and threw his hat on. I got out of the bunk and stretched, I was far from a morning person. Looking at my watch on the bedside table, I sighed when I read the numbers. I grabbed some fresh clothes out of my suitcase and left the room. As I reached for the bathroom door I heard very girly giggling from the room across the hall.

"This is so exciting! Can you believe that you're going to be in a parade?" The first voice said with much enthusiasm.

"Yeah, whatever." The other voice said, deeper but still feminine. I chuckled, she seemed as excited as I did. I entered the bathroom, took a very quick shower and got ready. The door swung open as I was fixing my scarf and a young boy with a red and blue cap strolled in.

"Hi." He said happily. "I'm Ness." He stuck a friendly hand out and I shook it in return.

"Fox." I replied with a smile.

"Oh I know. You're super famous now because of that stunt you pulled. Amazing by the way. I've got to get some of those boots." The kid said. "Reckon you're going to do it again at the parade?"

"No, I think I have had my fair share of fire to last a lifetime." I said and straightened my jacket.

"Aw, I was kind of looking forward to a bit of excitement. All we've done so far is smile and wave for the audience. I feel like a super model." Ness said.

"Yeah." I murmered. "Well, see you later." The boy waved and I left. I started to head back to the room but stopped. The hallway led further into what seemed to be stairs going up, to where I didn't know. I looked down at my watch that told me I had another half hour before I was due to leave on the parade. Silently, I stood debating whether or not I should risk snooping around. I really couldn't help it, life as a mercenary meant I had to know what surrounded me. Yeah, that's the excuse I'd use. I rushed down the hall before anyone could see me and flew up the stairs. I quickly found it was a fire exit. At the top was a door. I slowly opened it and smiled at what I saw. It was a sunrise, but not any sunrise. A sunrise with two suns. I walked over to the edge and stared in awe at how amazing it looked. The door opened again behind me and a woman with long blonde hair done up in a ponytail, wandered over to me.

"Two suns. Not bad." She commented. I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You've seen more?" I asked.

"Maybe." She replied.

"Did you follow me up here?" I asked, facing the horizon again.

"No. If I were you'd already be dead." She said calmly. After she received a strange look from me she explained. "The only reason I have to follow someone is to kill them, it's what I do."

"So you're a hit man." I asked with callous.

"I guess you could call me that." She said and glanced at me. "And I don't think you can really judge, mercenary."

"I don't murder innocent people." I spat.

"Neither do I." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What is it you want?"

"Just enjoying the view." She replied with a small smile. There was a silence, in which I looked down at my watch.

"I guess it's time for me to go. Will I see you at the parade?" I asked.

"In a way." She said. Although confusing, I decided to leave the conversation at that and made my way back to my room. I was hoping to see Link there, but he'd already gone. I switched to my regular boots and grabbed my headset, placing easily over ears. I walked back out of the room and down the hall to the entrance. I swung the big wooden door open and found that every competitor was gathered in the courtyard. It was strange seeing all the different faces of the people I was going up against.

"Ah, Fox, we were waiting for you. Can you stand behind Luigi please and we'll get started." A young woman with blonde hair told me. She wore a long frilly pink dress and quickly ran over to the front of the now formed line of competitors. I took my spot behind the skinny Italian and patiently waited for something to happen. Behind me, was a giant ape. He gave me a goofy smile and I gave him one in return.

"Alright everyone. Just stay in formation, smile and wave. Once we get to the end we'll be getting on a bus to take us to the Smash Mansion." The young woman told us, pattered her hair down and led the long line of twelve down the street. Crowds of people shouted and whooped at our appearance. There were so many people watching, expecting great entertainment from us. I didn't understand why. Why was I invited? I'm just a pilot. I haven't done anything of great importance that would make me stand out. It was my team that helped me take down Andross, I never took any credit for it and I still don't want any. If anyone should be here, it should be my father, and I'm sure if he were still alive, he would be. Maybe that's why I'm here, I'm as close as they're going to get to James McCloud.

"Hey-a Fox, you may-a want to look a little less-a glum." The younger Italian whispered to me.

"Right, thanks." I muttered. "Doesn't it seem wrong though?"

"What does?"

"Everything. Like, what did you do to get here?" I asked quietly, sending a faux smile every now and then.

"I support my brother." He replied.

"But what have _you_ done?" I asked. He remained quiet before shaking his head.

"Nothing."

"Exactly. Why are people like you and I here?" He opened his mouth to reply but got stopped when I received a shove from behind me.

"Shut up Merc, people are watching." Captain Falcon warned me. I growled slightly but heeded his words and continued to walk like the puppet I was becoming.

***

I sat quietly staring out of the bus window, my mind miles away. Link had taken up the seat next to me and had slowly started to drift off as soon as we got on board. I could feel the urge to sleep as well, but knew that I couldn't, not when all these people that I didn't know surrounded me. Thoughts of home kept tugging at my mind and I already missed the familiarity of it.

"Link, do you miss your home?" I asked. He lifted one eyelid groggily.

"I miss my horse." He said after much thought.

"You have a horse?"

"Yeah, her name's Epona. She goes everywhere with me." He smiled. "And I miss other stuff." He muttered under his breath, but with my excellent hearing I heard it anyway.

"Like?" I pried with a smirk.

"A friend." He said vaguely.

"They wouldn't happen to be a girl right?"

"Maybe. I don't see how it matters though." He said although he knew he was fighting a losing battle with a struggling smile. I laughed and we chattered for the rest of the trip, which thankfully wasn't too long. The bus stopped eventually in front of a huge eclectic mansion. Gardens and ponds circled the walls and I was sure I saw a pool at the back.

"This is cool." I heard Ness say.

"Welcome to the Smash Mansion everyone! My name is Princess Peach and I'll be giving you tours and all sorts of interesting stuff throughout the next twelve weeks. Now I know it's very exciting but first you have to unpack all of your belongings into your new rooms. Ready?" The blond in pink asked. Without waiting for a reply she led the way up the paved walkway to the magnificent steel and wooden doors. The doors swung slowly open upon her placing a delicate footstep on the welcome mat and we were given a full view of the stunning marble walls and halls. I looked over at Link whom had gone a little pale. I raised an eyebrow, signalling my concern, but he shook his head with a smile. We were taken further inside and up a majestic staircase to what seemed to be a foyer. There were six doors on both sides with small golden plaques to the side of each.

"Ok, so here is where your rooms are in which your bags and belongings are already waiting for you. You will each have your own room and others will not be allowed to enter unless under expressed permission. So find the door that belongs to you, unpack and meet back out here in about twenty minutes." Peach said with a brilliant smile and wandered off. I trailed away from Link and went in search for my name. It didn't take long to find the plaque with the word 'McCloud' written in fancy writing and I found that I was in between Pikachu and Captain Falcon. Great. I reached for my door but received a scowl from the good Captain.

"What? I'm not allowed to open my own door now?" I snapped. He sniggered and entered his room. I mentally scolded myself. After all those years of dealing with Falco and I hadn't learnt a thing about tolerance. I shook my head and opened the door. If I were to be honest, I was very shocked at the room I'd been given. A huge king-sized bed off to the left, a desk to the right, a door to what I assumed was the en-suite in the left hand corner and a balcony right at the back. I whistled at its impressiveness. My bag was as promised, placed neatly on the end of the bed and I did as I was told and unpacked. It didn't take me long and I had at least another ten minutes to investigate the rest of the room. I headed towards the bathroom and laughed.

"Oh no." I grinned. Right in the middle was a spa. I hadn't been in a spa since I was about twelve and spending the night at a Bill's. His parents were very well off. The rest of the bathroom was just as magnificent and I decided to check out the balcony before I left. The French doors swung open with ease and the view I had was nothing but the word amazing. I was right when I thought there was a pool, along with many deck chairs and various other outdoor furniture. "Wow." I muttered.

Although I tried to shake it, the feeling of everything being too perfect kept harassing me. The perfect room, the perfect accommodations, the perfectly inscribed door label, everything seemed so perfect. If this was supposed to be a competition, why were we being treated like royalty? I chose to ponder this question later, my extra ten minutes were up and I headed back to the main foyer. Only about half of the other competitors had returned and Link was not one of them. I stood quietly, looking down at my watch every now and then, slowly becoming more worried when all of the competitors were assembled and he still had not shown himself. I walked over to Mario, whom was conversing with his younger brother.

"Hey, have you seen Link?" I asked them. They looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Sorry Fox. Not since we left to our rooms." Mario replied.

"He's only a boy, maybe he got over excited at the hot tub." Captain Falcon interrupted in which he received an irritated 'hey!' from Ness. The sound of high heels clicking on stone was quickly followed by the appearance of Peach.

"Alright, are we ready to get on with the tour?" She asked sweetly.

"Link's missing." I said. Her fixed smiled flittered away briefly.

"I'll just go and check on him." She said and entered his room. A few moments later she returned and closed the door quietly behind her.

"Ok, let's go." She said.

"What about Link?" Ness asked.

"He's not feeling too well and will skip the tour. Shall we?" She said and sounded almost desperate to get on with the schedule.

"Thought so." Captain Falcon muttered right next to me, but I chose to ignore it. Peach showed us all around the mansion, the training centre, gaming room, dinning room. It wasn't until we were shown the kitchen that I heard my name. I looked left and right but couldn't find where it came from.

"Down here." The voice whispered and I looked down at my jacket pocket. The little blue fairy showed herself and flew up to ear, efficiently hiding herself in its curve.

"What are you doing here Navi?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Link told me to tell you that he has food poisoning." She said. By this time, I'd fallen to the back of the group so I could talk to the overactive fairy without receiving any strange looks.

"Food poisoning?" I repeated. "Did he say where from?"

"No, but he did tell me to make myself useful and get him something to make him feel better. I think that the root ginger would be a good one because it's very efficient in getting rid of nausea."

"I've never heard of it, can you even get it here?" I asked.

"I don't know and it's quite frightening." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"It's my job to help Link out with hints and tips throughout our travels, but this place is so different and alien that I can't figure out what I should do. What do I do Fox? I never don't know!" Navi panicked.

"Ok, calm down. We'll ask Peach at the end of the tour for some ginger or the closest thing to it alright?" I said. She acknowledged me and hid back in my pocket for the remainder of the tour. It was ridiculous at the amount of luxuries we were given and again that feeling kept nagging me. The tour concluded in the yard and Peach then dismissed us for the rest of the day. As everyone trailed off, I pushed my way through the mass and over to where the blonde was walking away.

"Princess!" I called out. She turned around and gave me a lovely smile.

"What can I help you with Fox?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

"I was wondering if you had any ginger?" I asked her. She gave me a funny look and laughed nervously.

"What's ginger?"

"It er apparently soothes nausea." I replied becoming unsure of myself.

"For Link right?" She asked.

"Yes."

"I've already sent him something to make him feel better but it may take a bit of time." The princess told me, spun around and walked away. I stood still, a little surprised. Peach seemed quite reasonable until I mentioned Link.

"Hey, did you see the way Peach acted?" Navi asked me, reappearing from my pocket.

"Yeah." I replied absentmindedly. Something strange was definitely going on here.

"Listen, can we go back to Link? I've never been away from him for this long before." She asked again.

"Sure." We left the garden and followed the map Peach had given us to the foyer. I knocked a little hesitantly on the door and it opened to the ghostly pale boy. "Wow, you don't look good." I said, hiding the chuckle at his hair that was sticking out in every direction.

"I don't feel good either." He slurred.

"Look at you! You do look awful, I wish there was something I could do but I really don't know this place well enough and – " Navi began but got cut off when he raised a silencing hand.

"Navi, you did what you could and I appreciate your concern." He told her, but I could see he was quickly running out of energy.

"Well I just wanted to check on you. By the way, what did Peach send you?" I asked. He tilted his head to the side.

"She sent me something?" He asked, genuinely confused. I looked at him for a moment before putting on a smile.

"Don't worry about it. I'll come by later ok?" I said. He nodded and went back into his room.

"Are you going with him?" I asked Navi.

"No, I think I'll stick with you for a bit." She said and I heard a laugh from behind the door. I ignored it and looked around the foyer as if to find something. "Didn't Peach say she sent something for him?" Navi asked.

"Yes she did. Feel like a little recon?" I asked with a sly smile.


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: Hi guys. Sorry about the late post. Life and what-not happened, but hopefully I won't leave posting chapters with this much of a large time span in future. Thank you once again to my wonderful reviewers :) Now on with the story!**_

_**Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this in the chapters before, but I own nothing. **_

* * *

"I don't think we should be doing this. Doesn't it seem a bit wrong?" Navi asked as I hid behind a wall.

"Don't you want to find out what Peach is up to?" I asked her and sneaked a peek around the corner. Silence surprisingly was her reply and I nodded. We had been floated around all day, learning the layout of the mansion and waited until the lights went out to go looking for Peach.

"Listen Fox, I feel like something bad is going to happen." Navi whispered to me. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and mustered up what little patience I had left.

"Navi, there are always a million things wrong with a last minute plan, that's why it's so risky." I explained calmly.

"But-"

"No buts." I ordered. "Now, unless it's really important, you're going to have to be quiet from now on ok?"

"Ok."

"Good." I said and with one last deep breath, I ran towards the door. Quietly, I positioned myself next it and opened it very slowly. Sticking my nose into the darkened room, I tried to adjust my eyes to the blackness. There was movement and then,

"Is someone there?" A voice asked and I immediately recognised it as Peach.

"Oh hi Peach, sorry I thought this was my room, this place is so confusing." I lied, throwing my hands up for affect. The lights flickered on and I saw Peach propping her head up with her hand, elbow on her desk. I was startled to see that her eyes were red and puffy.

"Are you alright?" I asked and inched further into the room. She sniffled and ran a hand through her frazzled hair.

"Of course." She said and attempted a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?" I bit the inside of my mouth. I really wasn't very good at this sort of thing, especially when I lived with three other guys.

"You don't look ok." I tried, but awkwardly.

"It's just…" She began and scrunched up the tissue in her hand. I sat down in the chair opposite the desk and waited for her to continue. She looked at me with her wide blue eyes. "I made a huge mistake."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." I assured her lamely.

"Oh no? My reckless actions got somebody else hurt." She sobbed.

"What did you do Peach?" I asked gently.

"You promise you won't tell?" She asked me.

"Not if I don't have to." I said. Peach looked at me again, as if deciding whether she could trust me. Sighing, she told me her story.

"I'm just so worried about Mario and Luigi. They don't understand what happens in this competition, the dangers and violence." She shuddered at the last word. "I tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen. They said that I was just being paranoid which I usually am but this is different. This is real!" Peach said and her voice raised an octave at the end.

"Wait, what do you mean 'dangers and violence'?" I asked. She ignored me and continued.

"So to get them to listen to me, I had to take matters into my own hands." She paused and blew her nose, delicately throwing the tissue into the bin beside her. "Before we left, I picked one of the mushrooms back home and put it into some cakes for them. It wasn't lethal, it would just make them a little sick, but they got mixed in with the other cakes that were dished out after the parade…" I slumped my shoulders upon realising where she was going.

"And that's why Link's sick." I finished and she nodded. I huffed tiredly and rubbed my face with my paw.

"It was an accident. You won't tell him will you?" Peach pleaded and it made her sound like a desperate child trying to get out of trouble. It took me a moment to reply.

"Look Peach I'll make you a deal. I won't tell Link, but you have to respect whatever decisions those two make especially if it's a dangerous one. If you don't then it just comes off as offensive, ok?" I offered her. She wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Ok. Thank you Fox, you're really sweet." She said softly, got up and gave me a kiss on the head between my ears. I was left speechless as she tiptoed out of the room. The little blue fairy appeared out of my jacket and flittered around my head.

"So it was Peach that poisoned Link. We have to tell him." She said and flew out of the room. I was broken from my stupor and shook my head quickly. I couldn't let her tell Link, not right after I promised that he wouldn't find out. Throwing the chair from under me out of the way, I sprinted out of the room. The dark halls were not very helpful in my quest, but I managed to catch the tail of light blue sparkles Navi left behind.

"Navi!" I whispered. There was no reply and when I finally got to the Hylian's door, the trail ended. I stood quietly steaming. There was nothing I could do now. It was way too late to go knocking on the sick teenager's door and I didn't want to push the relatively early friendship. I clenched my fist in frustration and spun around. It hadn't even been five minutes and I'd already broken my promise with Peach. I shoved my key-card I was given into my own door and threw it open. A scowl plastered on my face, I glanced around the room in search for something to occupy me from breaking something. The TV seemed to be the least stress inducing, so I flopped onto my bed, chucked off my boots and turned it on. The program on seemed to be some sort of news or chat report.

_"The Super Smash Brothers competition has already stolen the hearts of the galaxy with its amazing heroes. We're joined here with re-known gossip specialist Lindsay Klopper. So Lindsay, have you discovered anything on the inside that viewers may find interesting?" _The tall man with slicked back hair asked.

"This ought to be good." I muttered sarcastically. The young woman, presumably Miss Klopper, smiled a magnificent smile that rivalled even Peach's, before speaking into the microphone that she greedily snatched.

_"Well George, I have heard some interesting titbits that I would be more than happy to share with you and those at home." _She said enthusiastically. _"From what I've seen so far, friendships and alliances have already been formed. The noticeable pairs I've noticed are between Kirby and Yoshi, and Link and Fox. Now obviously the Mario brothers are going to stick together, but what do these alliances mean for the other competitors? Well, I saw a very unsavoury exchange between Captain Falcon and Fox during the parade today and it makes me wonder if there is going to be anymore drama from these two during the rest of the competition." _I slumped into the soft pillows propping my back up. I hated the media.

_"Now Lindsay, I've had many people asking me what gender Samus is. Does anyone know?" _George asked.

_"Not yet, but I get a very strong feeling that we'll be finding out soon." _Lindsay said.

_"And just one more question before you go. This has got to be one of the biggest questions I've heard from viewers, based on what we've seen from the competitors at the introductions and the parade today, who is the competitor that has gained the most popularity?" _George asked eagerly.

_"At the moment it's a bit of a mixture. Mario has got to be at the top being the hugely famous hero he is. Closely followed by Link and Samus. Just behind those two would have to be Fox." _

_ "Now he had a bit of a controversial entrance didn't he?"_

_ "Oh yes, his fire demonstration had many mixed reactions from the crowd, although most of them being positive. They've even started calling him the 'Fire Fox'." _I cringed. Falco was going to love this.

_"Well that's all we've got time for. Thanks for joining us Lindsay and I'll see you same time next week." _The program ended and I switched the TV off.

I slept fitfully that night. Horrible nightmares danced around my eyes, tricking my mind into believing them with their taunts. I could feel my body's urgency to stir, but it was out of my control. Eventually, my subconscious threw me out and I sat panting, clutching onto the thin sheets in panic. I hadn't had a nightmare since I was about sixteen, however under the circumstances of the time it would have been seen as abnormal if I didn't. I shook my head in attempt to get rid of the replays but to no avail. Calming my breathing slightly, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash my face. It did little to help, to which I concluded that sleeping was out of the picture. On my way out of the bathroom, I saw a little blue flashing light on my desk. I peered at curiously and turned on the lights. Startled at the sudden bright light, I blinked a few times and then walked over to the desk. It was similar to the glass tablets I had at home only it was more blockish. On the screen was the outline of an envelope with the number two in the middle. I tapped it and it opened the first letter.

_Dear Smashers_

_Today is the first day that two of you will be competing against each other. They will be picked at random and notified exactly four hours before the match. An assembly will be held at 0900 and the first competition will be held at 1300. _

_I can't wait to meet you all_

_Yours truly,_

_Master Hand_

Master Hand. He'd remained silent until now and today I would finally meet him. I felt a bit intimidated already; this man had so much power and wealth. Those two never mixed well. I pushed my worries away and read the next letter to which I smiled broadly at.

_Hey Fox_

_Saw you on the news yesterday trying out my new inventions. What do you think? I know, I should have warned you about them but I was just so excited that it slipped my mind. _

_News about you is buzzing around Lylat at the moment and you're all everyone will talk about! Not that you weren't famous already. I feel for you though, I know you hate the attention. _

_Apart from all that hype, not much has been happening. We got a job today to take out a squad of these little ships that appeared on the edge of Lylat. They're causing all kinds of destruction and the General just wants us to get rid of them without the public getting wind of it. They're strange though Fox I've, never seen anything like them. _

_Anywho, Falco and Peppy say hi, well Peppy says hi, Falco just grunted. He has become so irritating since you left, even more than usual! I reckon he's just jealous he didn't get invited and that they think you're better than him, which isn't a lie. I'm sure he'll get over it. I just hope I don't strangle him first. _

_We're all wishing you luck and to have a good time. Kick their butts!_

_Slippy_

The letter closed itself and the screen turned black. My smile had somewhat dropped when I read the commotion the competition was causing to not only to the people of Lylat, but Falco. We'd always been competitive, one of us always barely beating the other in whatever it was. The fact that this was making Falco bitter left me a bit ashamed. Not in Falco, but in what the competition was doing to me. I sighed, there wasn't much I could do now, it's not like I could send a letter back to them. Looking over at the alarm clock, I narrowed my eyes at the numbers. 4:06am. What was I going to do for another five hours? I yawned. I could at least attempt to get some more sleep. Dragging my feet back to the oversized bed, I lazily slumped in the soft mattress. Not bothering to turn the lights off, I buried my head into the pillow and fell into a light, dreamless sleep.


End file.
